Le Conte Glacier Bay, Alaska, 1998
By Marie Humphrey

I never had much interest in visiting Alaska before. It looked like an isolated place, cold and desolate. I much preferred the warm weather and waters of Baja. However, when I saw that Scott Roberge of Tongass Kayak Adventures was presenting a slide show last February, I decided to attend. His slides were exciting, showing lots of wildlife and beautiful scenery. But what really inspired me were the ice blue glaciers. The other enticing point was that between June and August the air temperature ranges from 50-70 degrees. That I could live with. So I booked a one-week trip in June to LeConte Glacier Bay.

The trip started with a day of flying from San Diego to Seattle to Juneau to Petersburg, a small fishing community in Southeast Alaska. I decided to fly in a day early because the airfare was cheaper on a Friday. I booked the airfare and extra night's lodging through Tongass as well. When I arrived in Petersburg, I was promptly met by Colleen, who was to be my guide for the week. While driving me to the Scandia Inn, she informed me that I was the only client who had signed up for the trip so I would have my own adventure with three guides. What a deal!

The first day in Petersburg I was on my own so I scouted around the docks and shops. I purchased a pair of knee high rubber boots that were the only item of required apparel I was not able to purchase in San Diego. While out around the docks, I noticed a float plane landing. I talked to the pilot, Butch Williams of Kupreanof Float Planes and booked a ride over the top of LeConte Glacier where I would be paddling in two days. Seeing the Glacier from the air was breathtaking. The ice is so dense in many places that only the blue light waves can escape from it making it bright blue to the human eye. The constant pressure of gravity forces the glacier to move slowly down the mountain into the salt-water bay of Frederick Sound. When the ice falls off into the Bay it is called "calving" and it is quite a spectacle.

That evening I met the other two guides, Indy and Wade as we went over our gear and supplies. I was only responsible for bringing my sleeping bag, clothes and personal items. Tongass supplied the tents, food, kayaks and paddling gear. We made plans to meet at 8:00 the next morning to get on the water by 9:00.

I awoke to a cloudy day with light showers. I dressed in layers with waterproof pants and jacket as the outer layer. We loaded up two single Ravens and one double Whisper made by Eddyline. I paddled in the front of the double with Colleen. As we headed out of the protected inlet of Petersburg into Frederick Sound the wind came up a bit and the water was quite choppy. I am very familiar with ocean paddling and the double felt very stable compared to my Arluk II so I felt quite safe and capable. We paddled along the shore and after a few miles pulled off and took refuge under a shelter on the beach to see if the weather would settle down. (The guides later told me that if I hadn't been experienced and comfortable in the rough water, they would have turned back). Fortunately, the rain let up after about an hour and we decided to go on with the trip. We saw no more rain the rest of the week.

Because of the short delay and windy conditions, instead of paddling across Frederick Sound, we continued along Mitkof Island to an alternate campsite. It was at the mouth of a small creek and there were lush ferns, mosses and wildflowers everywhere. We immediately unpacked and set up camp, which consisted of a kitchen area and two tents for sleeping. We not only used the rain flies but also draped additional tarps across each tent and the kitchen area. While the guides made dinner, I explored and took in the beauty and isolation of the area.

I must say I felt very pampered this trip. The guides did all of the cooking and the meals were magnificent. That first night we had shrimp, rice and fresh veggies with carrot cake for dessert. I awoke in the morning to sunshine, coffee, French toast and oranges. The water was like glass so we loaded up and headed across Frederick Sound.

As we approached LeConte Glacier Bay large chunks of ice were floating up the sound toward Petersburg. Within the Bay the chunks became larger with a variety of shapes, colors and textures. I was cautioned to stay as far as possible from the icebergs and to keep a constant look out for movement. As the icebergs floated, the portion below the salt water would melt more rapidly making them top-heavy. Then they would either turn over or break off and come shooting up to the surface. This could cause a kayak to capsize which would be quite a hazard in the cold water.

We reached our camp at Bussy Creek at high tide so we were able to paddle right up to it. The tides change 18 feet each day so this makes quite a difference on how close you are able to paddle. Wade was an expert on the tides so he helped determine what time we would launch and return each day. We immediately set up camp and organized all the gear. Even though the skies were clear we didn't forget the rain flies and extra tarps. The guides were ambitious and they prepared the camp completely for comfort and safety every time. There was firewood stashed nearby and a rock hearth to help radiate the heat. That night we had a dinner of halibut, couscous and salad. It tasted divine.

The next morning we awoke to sunny skies and headed further into the bay toward the glacier. I paddled one of the single Ravens and felt very comfortable and in control. We hoped to reach the face of the glacier but as we worked our way in the icebergs became thicker and thicker and we had to follow single file until we could go no further. We also had to be aware that the ice would become even more congested at low tide and we didn't want to get trapped. We changed course by traveling across the Bay to Thunder Falls but the ice was just too thick to get through. We turned around and paddled back, passed our camp and took out at a good hiking spot that Colleen knew about.

One important item about enjoying a trip to Alaska, is to be flexible and have other options in mind when the temperature, wind, or ice makes your initial plan unfeasible. The guides were very knowledgeable of the area and always had alternate campsites or adventures that could be explored. We landed on the rocky shore for lunch and noticed a large eagle take off from under the trees. When we went to investigate, we found a dead moose, partially gutted, but with legs intact. Unfortunately, it was the only moose that I saw on the trip, although I found plenty of tracks.

On our hike up to the muskeg (sphagnum bog), the rubber boots were very useful. The ground was very wet and muddy and we sunk in as we climbed up to higher and higher ground. Because the muskeg is made up of layers of decayed matter more than 12 feet thick, trees can no longer grow there. We soon came upon a huge clearing and spent a couple of hours enjoying the warm sunshine. By the time we returned to our boats the tide had risen a few feet, but because we always secured them with ropes, all was well.

We headed back to camp and feasted on another great dinner of chicken, tortellini, salad, rolls and cheesecake. We stayed up late and talked around the fire until about midnight. It was easy to forget the time because the sun doesn't set until around 10 p.m. and the sky glows all night until sunrise around 3 a.m. There had been no wind and all the ice was just sitting in the Bay not getting flushed out so we decided to wait a day before another attempt to reach the glacier. We decided to spend the following day hiking up Bussy Creek.

The next morning we walked across the mud at low tide to a tree-covered point. We saw moose tracks, bear scat, and a bright fluorescent green inchworm. Large icebergs were stranded up on the land making it look like another planet. The hike up Bussy Creek was beautiful with lots of ferns, moss and fungi along the little-worn path. Many trees lay across the creek helping us cross from side-to-side as the path disappeared. We returned to camp for lunch of quesadillas and then I took a walk by myself through the huge meadow along the north shoreline. A huge porcupine came ambling down the path toward me and I decided to make a noise so he would notice me before he got too close. He headed for the forest as soon as he realized I was there, but I found him again on my way back heading down the same path.

Dinner that night was white salmon with coconut chutney, potatoes, broccoli, zucchini and pineapple upside-down cake (yummy). White salmon is much tastier than pink salmon, but harder to market, according to the canners in Petersburg. So the locals get to enjoy all of it. We kept the fire going until midnight again, telling stories and sharing our lives.

After breakfast burritos, coffee and juice we launched the kayaks with another attempt at the face of the glacier. We tried to find a path through the thick ice but again it became too congested. We backed out, turned around and made our way out to more open water. Many of the big burgs had moved toward the mouth of the bay, and some had split up. June is "pupping" season for the harbor seals so they were lying around on top of the ice with their newborns. We kept our distance as the little ones were very curious and their moms had to keep pushing their heads down to hide them. We paddled around the ice most of the day, taking a hike in the afternoon and returning to camp for dinner of clam chowder, cornbread, coleslaw and cookies.

The next morning we woke early to eat, break camp and leave by 8:00 am to make the crossing back to Mitkof Island at high tide. It was three miles back to the mouth of the bay and we had to push a lot of ice to get out. Then we paddled another two miles to Camp Island where we had a snack and then five more miles to Ideal Cove where we set up camp one last time. We had plenty of time to explore so Colleen, Indy and I took a three-mile hike up to Hill Lake, which was like a huge lily pond with a boardwalk around it. The trail was very muddy and air was humid. When we got back to camp, Wade had a spaghetti dinner waiting with Ficaccio bread and brownies for dessert. I went to bed early as I was exhausted from the paddle and hike.

The next morning we packed up the boats for the last time. We launched early so the tide would push us through Dry Straits on our way to the take out. After only an hour we landed and a van was there to pick us up for the ride back to Petersburg. We traveled along Sumner Straits and Wrangell Narrows and stopped at a salmon hatchery on the way back. Then on to Scandia Inn for a hot bath and clean clothes. We met for dinner that night to share stories of our trip and exchange addresses so we could all keep in touch.

On my way home through Seattle, I volunteered to get bumped from the plane so I got a free round-trip ticket wherever Alaska Airlines flies. Maybe I'll go visit the whales next time.

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